In the automobile industry, lights and lighting assemblies are used by mechanics and engineers to illuminate an area underneath the hood of a vehicle or under the body of a vehicle, so that a mechanic has proper lighting to fix and repair the vehicle. Existing lighting assemblies, however, suffer from deficiencies, as typical existing assemblies do not conveniently attach to the underneath portion of a vehicle or to a vehicle hood and require a mechanic or additional person, such as an assistant, to hold the light, thus, diminishing the available hands to work to fix and repair the vehicle.
Typical prior art assemblies for work lights are hand-held, such as the National Electric® 13 Watt X-Light Yellow Work Light with 25 Foot Cord or the Coleman® Cable Fluorescent Work Light with 25 Foot Cord. These hand-held lighting systems are available at typical hardware stores such as Sears® and do not attach to the hood or the body of a vehicle. Thus, these hand-held lighting assemblies must be held in place by a mechanic fixing the vehicle or the mechanic's assistant in order to shine light to illuminate a work area.
Hand-held lighting assemblies also suffer from additional deficiencies as these assemblies shine a bright light into the eyes of a mechanic, thus, providing a direct light source that overpowers the eyes of a mechanic, and may interfere with a mechanic's work.
Other such assemblies, such as the Underhood Lite® with LitePerch® provided by Central Tools Inc® of Cranston, R.I., can attach to the hood or body of an automobile. This assembly, however, suffers from other deficiencies as it, while able to attach to the underneath portion of an automobile hood, is flimsy and difficult to attach. Moreover, this system has a long cord, which can become tangled or can get in the way of a mechanic's work.
The Underhood Lite® also suffers from having its light required to be rotated, as it does not provide a light source having sufficient lumens to illuminate the entire body of an engine. Thus, rather than being a self-leveling light, the Underhood Lite® must constantly be rotated in order to illuminate a specific work area. Further, the Underhood Lite® does not have a notch or groove to lock its clasping members and will rotate upon its longitudinal axis, thus, being flimsy and unworkable. Additionally, the Underhood Lite® further suffers from being flimsy as if it is bumped by a mechanic doing work, it may fall off and lose its attachment to the hood or body of a vehicle.
Other deficiencies of systems such as the Underhood Lite® are that they have a light that creates shadows, thus, making it difficult for a mechanic to work on a specific area, overpowering the mechanic's eyes when the mechanic looks directly into the light and creating a light source that is not beneficial for mechanical work.
Other deficiencies of existing systems include giving off excessive heat, lacking durability, and having a high cost.
Thus, it is desired to provide a lighting assembly and method for providing a lighting assembly that can attach to the hood or body of a vehicle, and can illuminate an area underneath the hood or body of a vehicle, so that a mechanic can work and see the illuminated area, while overcoming the deficiencies of the existing assemblies.